Clovis water rights purchase postponed

The city of Clovis’ proposed purchase of water rights adjacent to Cannon Air Force Base has been postponed to conduct further testing, according to Mayor David Lansford.

Lansford said the seller of the rights, local farmer J.L. Wall, has agreed to extend the terms of the proposed purchase pending additional flow rate testing on the wells.

An ordinance to purchase water rights from Wall to offer short-term and intermediate-term water supply to Cannon was introduced by Lansford at the March 11 city commission meeting.

The city plans to acquire the water rights using money from the Economic Development Tax Advisory Board since it is a business retention project that will keep personnel at Cannon.

“I think that the overall sentiment of the EDTAB committee, including city management, myself and others,” Lansford said, “was that we really needed to make a thorough examination of this water and to determine that the value that’s been placed on it is something we can substantiate. It’s really more for validation purposes.”

At a price of $2,000 per acre, the total cost for the water rights, plus 10 wells and piping and easements for future wells, would be $1.86 million.

According to Lansford, the city is in the process of getting estimates on how much the flow rate testing will cost, then the city commission will decide how to appropriate funding for the testing.

The testing will hopefully be completed within the next 60 to 120 days, Lansford said.

“The intent at this point is to expedite that, but to do a thorough examination in this due diligence process,” he said.